Ferguson schools announce closure in advance of Darren Wilson ruling

Schools in the Jennings School District near Ferguson, Missouri will close on Monday and Tuesday in advance of a potential weekend grand jury ruling on whether to indict police officer Darren Wilson.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, parents in the district will receive automated calls this afternoon notifying them that school will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.

"With the heightened anxiety and activity, we thought it would be better for students and staff to extend the holiday at this point," Jennings district Superintendent Tiffany Anderson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Darren Wilson is facing possible indictment for the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri this past August. Following Brown's death, protests erupted in the Ferguson and St. Louis area. The closures are seen as a method of preparing for any potential protests that may arise out of the grand jury's ruling.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, school district representatives from several north St. Louis County districts have been contacted by law enforcement with the request to close for two days immediately after the announcement to keep buses and excess traffic off the streets in the event of protests or unrest.